Saudi women meet to discuss empowerment

FOUZIA KHAN

JEDDAH: The role of women in the development of the Kingdom was presented and discussed Thursday in the third forum entitled “Saudi Women of Tomorrow,” held under the patronage and sponsorship of Princess Seeta Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, with the participation of thousands of Saudi women.

The forum held at Dar Al-Hekma started with a meeting “Change Up Your Llife,” which shared the vision and experience of nine Saudi experts and successful women who discussed the empowerment of women and their role in the Kingdom’s development. They encouraged women to participate in the national development plan and raised awareness of women in the Kingdom who are cultural and intellectual leaders.

Lama Al- Ghalayini the president of the forum said the event is an initiative in national development.

“The aim is to promote an achievement attitude among the Saudi female youth and energize their willpower to facilitate women’s participation in the nation’s development; promote and disseminate a culture of achievement among Saudi women; enable women to participate effectively in national development plan through training sessions,” she said. “Developing skills, dialogues, education and training are the keys to opening women’s role in the building of our nation. Today’s forum will push us to seek the skills required to enhance our future role and expand participation in the national development plan.

“We welcome Princess Seeta and thank her for her great support and for showing interest in Saudi women in the development of the country and community. We hope the youth will benefit from the experience and achievements of the successful ladies of the community.” Lubna Al-Ghalayini, Vice President of the forum, also said organizers are working to generate solutions and innovative ideas to develop a new sense of purpose for youths through interactive dialogues, training strategies and hosting prominent women.

Speakers and topics included “Change Your Focus,” by Prof. Salwa Al-Haza, an international award-winning writer; “Having a Positive Attitude,” by Dr. Arwa Al-Ami, Assistant Secretary of the Secretariat of Jeddah and Arwa Al-Mtabqati, the first woman member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Federation for Equestrian; “Accept differences,” by Dr. Badrya Al-Bashar, a famous writer; “Removing the Barriers,” by Halima Muzafar and Amira Al-Fazal who are media figures; “Getting Unstuck” by Lina Al-Maeena, the founder of the first women’s sports team in the Kingdom and President of the United Jeddah Sports Academy; “ Enjoy Your Success,” by Maha Tahir the activist and social worker and Lila Al-Nahdi, award winner of the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd young leaders.

Muzafer said the forum is very important to understand the changes women, especially the Saudi women, can bring and remove barriers because they are the ones who can be successful if they want.

“Saudi women have everything,” she said. “They just need the motivation. We need to change the misconceptions about Saudi women.” Al-Maeena, Tahir and others also shared their experiences. They encouraged women to work with dedication while maintaining a strong vision and will. “I want to tell you that you can make changes, each and every one of you can make a difference,” Tahir said. “I want you to feel the power you have inside you so you can bring the changes, the same way we did, and stop relying on others. Take the initiative, be confident, work with determination and you will achieve your goals.”